The Present:
in Education
Dr. Tonja M. Williams
Dr. Tonja M. Williams is the Superintendent of the Buffalo Public School (BPS) District, which is the second largest public PK-12 school district in New York State.
Dr. Williams is the first native Buffalonian African American woman who was unanimously voted by the Buffalo Board of Education (BOE) to serve as the Permanent Superintendent of Schools on July 20, 2022. Directly prior to the vote, she’d been appointed unanimously by the BOE, to serve as the Interim Superintendent of schools on March 3, 2022.
Dr. Williams initially engaged with BPS as a student in the district from grades K-12 graduating from Riverside High School in 1982. She then earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology from Medaille College in 1986 and a Master of Science Degree in Counselor Education in 1990 from Canisus College. She has also earned Certifications in School and District Leadership from Canisius College and in Turnaround School Leadership from Harvard University.
Additionally, Dr. Williams earned an Educational Doctorate Degree (Ed.D) from St. John Fisher College in 2011. Her Doctoral Dissertation won the “Most Scholarly Dissertation” Award an honor voted on by all of the professors in the department. A granddaughter of sharecroppers, hailing from Tuscaloosa and Anniston, Alabama, she is extremely proud that her parents (who made great sacrifices for her education) and children were able to witness this accomplishment.
Dr. Williams has worked professionally in local community-based organizations, as well as at post-secondary institutions including Alfred University, Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina and for 34 years in the Buffalo Public School District; serving as a: School Guidance Counselor, Supervisor, Director, Assistant and Associate Superintendents, Interim and now Permanent Superintendent of Schools.
Hard work, honesty, and perseverance are blue-collar values instilled in her by both of her parents. Dr. Williams' most prized achievement is her role as a mother and grandmother. She is married to Major Knight Jr. and has two adult daughters, Desiree and Kelly, and one bonus daughter, Samantha Knight. She also has a beloved grandson, Cortland, who is at her heart’s core! She is thankful for it all!!
